not exactly a how-to question but more of a question to the pro forgers... what do you do before you decide to make a new map? for example, do you spend alot of time trying to think of ideas and drawing it out first before trying it in forge? also, do you get ideas just from a great thought or do you plan it out as you go? also, when you are finished, what do you do after? do you make it official right away or do you test it out first and get opinions? thanks
I do believe that this question should get its own topic, not just a post in the FAQ thread... Anyway, typically, when I get inspired, I'll write down whatever my idea was on a piece of paper (usually a sticky note or something similar). Depending on how complex the idea is (from "simple" such as my idea for a Clay Pidgeon map to something like my latest "Pyroclast"), I'll take between two days and two weeks to make it, constantly running through it to test the parts I've finished and make sure everything works the way I want it to. After that, and after all the aesthetic details are taken care of (usually just scenery bits like cones and pallets and such), I'll go to see if I can't get my friends to play it. This serves three purposes: 1. It gets you the epic action shots that so many forgehub posts have these days. 2. You get helpful feedback about the map and its design, including things that are liked and things that aren't (things that aren't should be considered for revision). 3. You get to see any fundamental flaws in the map that you may have missed during your forging (jumps that people made that just shouldn't happen). Once I've revised everything that needs revision, I'll post the map to Bungie.net, grab my epic battle shots (which hopefully point out the intended key areas of the map), compose the more detailed thread for here, and then post it up to the high standards here.
ah alright my bad, i'll do that next time. Your answer was very helpful, thanks. I know understand that forgers take alot into their makings and creations as well as getting everything perfect and into place. I have many ideas but I just dont know how to get them individually onto maps and make them look attractive...I haven't seen your maps yet, but I am going to right because they seem to be very unique. Another small question, but, how do you create such great gameplay in your map? Is it from your original idea or do you get help from other players to get it to work? Because I'll have some nice ideas but don't know how to incorporate the successful gameplay in it... thanks again!
Just to add on to what he said:::: This is a mix of scenery and Weapon placement. As you very well know, your "key Power Weapon" should be in a completely nuetral and playable part of your map. When focusing on gameplay for a map, it's best to first decide how many players you want the map to play. I like to think of it in terms of Guardian and Construct. Guardian: This is not a small map. Actually, it's a medium-sized map. However, it is best played (in my opinion) on Team Doubles or 3V3. The maps size seems to be smaller because of it's amount of crossfire opportunities. When a person can stand in one spot and see all but one or two other "key posts" of the map, it opens the map up. When a map is open with long lines of fire and multiple entrances to every room, it makes the map feel smaller. Construct: In size, Construct is probably not much bigger than Guardian. That said, it plays amazingly for 4V4 games. This is so (again, in my opinion) because of it's lack of open lines of fire. When you're in either of the Purple Lift Rooms, you can only see in the direction of Gold Lift and the middle open area between the two rooms. That's two entrances. These kind of things map a make feel larger. Ok, so I hope that helps. Remember that the smoothness and general aesthetics of your map attribute to its gameplay as much as the Weapon placement and what I mentioned above. No one wants to have to jump over every walkway. Give the player something to look at and admire while playing. Make every person who posts on your map say, "Wow, I can't tell this is Foundry" or "This looks like a possible Bungie design." I usually start with one really cool element. For instance, the last map that I made. I wanted to make some sort of tunnel using turned Window Panels as the flooring. I also wanted to incorporate the "Danger" sign along the back wall of Foundry. From there, my Forging partner and I just built outwards. Also, I'd like to suggest a Forging partner. Find someone that you play with often, and get along with. Even if they have no Forging skill whatsoever, you'll actually make much better maps with someone else there. Grid (my Forge buddy) always notes the teeny mistakes I make with a merge or something. So, those 5-10 spots in our map that we're not so proud of end up looking quite nice. As per building the map itself, though, just start with something and then go from there. Try to use any object you can in a way it's not been used. Use merging to create neat shapes and aesthetic doodads. Most of all, make your map your own. I guess that's all I've got to say on that subject. Hope everything works out for ya, bro!
WOW, thanks Dented...that was VERY helpful and i appreciate the time you took to that type for me...i will keep that in mind when creating my new map. thanks!
Alright, I am finally finished with my map! But, i am a long ways away from getting it official on FH and bungie...I need a little help with a few things... I am confused of the spawn points and how to make them for each team...The map is based on CTF/Assualt but it is confusing because there is Flag return/Spawn/etc with choices of Defender/Attacker/3rd team/4th/5th/etc....I don't know how to figure it out and a little clarification would help...thanks! BTW the CTF will be in the multi-flag form...
I'm guessing that you're referring to the spawn areas. This guide by Devinish should help you out (if it doesn't PM me and I'll try to explain further in depth...if such a thing can be possible).
Typically, it's done by floating the objects with the save and quit method, and then making it so the objects won't appear immediately upon game start, and floating another object in a place to interlock at an angle with the first using save and quit. To get it to appear on game start, simply fix the spawn time on the first object. If you'd like me to get more specific, please provide and example of what you're looking for. Otherwise, simply read these: Interlocking Guide Advanced Floating Guide (save and quit method) Video Tutorial Hope I've helped! ^_^
Sorry if someone asked this already because I don't have the attention span to look through 11 pages of this. But here's my question: How do you make things look really smooth instead of jagged and badly put together? Like when making structures
That's a pretty vague question, but I'll try to help. First of all, familiarize yourself with all the forging 101 techniques. Make sure you have a good grasp of interlocking and advanced floating especially. Then, it's all about patience and dedication. Try to figure out the best way to build whatever your building, then do it. If it doesn't come out as nice as you'd like, don't say, "Oh well" and move on. Go back and try again. Interlocking doesn't always work perfectly: expect this and be willing to jostle boxes around until they line up well. Use guides. If you're merging two double boxes together put walls against them so that they're perfectly lined up. If you're trying to place something at an angle, use stairs (25 degrees I think) as a guide, or three single boxes in an "L" shape to get 45 degrees. Hope that helps, and of course you can find guides on how to accomplish specific tasks (like making interlocked walls) if you just look around in the forge discussion.
how can you make it so weapon pick up is only limited to x amount of seconds i know how to change the respawn traits so you can only pick up weapons for lets say 5 seconds but is there anyway to set it so that weapon pick up is only enabled for the first few seconds of the intial spawn?
I believe that would be done in the gametype, in advanced respawn settings. Basically, make it so that normally people can't pick up weapons, except when they respawn. You'd also have to somehow make it so that people only have two lives in a round (so that, when they first spawn, they can die and respawn to be able to pick up weapons), and make it so that the weapons on the map never respawn so they can't pick up more ammo. That's the only way I can see to do what you're talking about...
yeah i have been toying with the gametype and i think that the best way to do it is to put the starting point outside the map so and let the guardians kill all the players and then the advanced respawn settings will allow players to pick up weapons
Give it a shot, but if you can't get it to work, just send me a line in game. My gamertag is Forgotten Wing, and I'm rather proficient in dealing with gametype options...
Im making an MLG map but I need to know one thing, whats the best way to geoglitch stairs into walls both sideways and straight forward?
In editor mode if you press pause there is the option to change game types. Switch to infection (press left once) and then go the the place where you want to set the point. In the spawn menu there should be new spawning points other than just Respawn Point, being Starting Point and Spawn Area. A spawn area is to set an area in which all points are set to the same team. But what you need to use is the starting point, which you can add to the map, and then: 1. (OPTIONAL, based on points within the area) Spawn a Spawn Area. 2. Spawn a Starting Point in your desired location. 3. Press X on Spawn Area or Starting Point. 4. Change Team to "Attackers". 5. (OPTIONAL, for Spawn Area) Change Spawn Area size by pressing X and making necessary adjustments. NOTE: Make sure if there are multiple starting zombies that you have multiple attacker starting points. Also, ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HAVE AT LEAST 16 STARTING POINTS ON THE MAP AND ENOUGH FOR EACH TEAM. Otherwise players will spawn in incorrect locations.
Best way I can think of doing that would be to first merge tall side of the stairs into the wall with the door method by placing a sender node or two beneath them, and then after you've merged them into the wall, getting rid of the guides underneath so you can sink them down to the ground (remember to place more guides at the "feet" of the stairs and on the side so that they don't just shoot back out when you're trying to push them down). In terms of merging them sideways into the wall, the door method would be best again.
alright, thanks but Im still confused. Im guessing I did what you said but they stairs seem to still go into the wall but they start to like look down and Im really getting annoying by this. It be better if someone could show me on XBL.